Shootings in Worcester are on upswing

WORCESTER — Shootings in Worcester in the six months of this year are almost double the number in the first six months of 2012, an alarming trend for police officials.

Many of those involved in the gun violence are familiar to police, who feel the appropriate strategies are in place to handle the problem.

"A lot of the violence we are seeing is by people well known to the Police Department," Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said. "Many have ties to gangs or gang affiliations. Some of them have been victims of violence in the past, and now they are perpetrators of violence."

There were 13 non-fatal shootings from Jan. 1 to June 30, compared to seven non-fatal shootings in the same period last year and 21 for the whole year. As of Tuesday afternoon there were 15 non-fatal shootings.

There have been four killings this year, three by firearms. Those three cases involved domestic cases of murder-suicide.

"When you look at our violence in our community, it is taking place amongst a relatively small group of active violent offenders," Chief Gemme said.

While the Police Department notes that many people involved in the shootings have ties to gangs, officials did not want to name the gangs. Chief Gemme said some gangs in the city have names of specific neighborhoods or streets, and having his department list those names could stigmatize neighborhoods.

"For us to publicly recognize the name of the gang would do a disservice to the law-abiding and hard-working citizens of those neighborhoods," he said.

Court records in several cases over the past several years have shown violence tied to the Kilby Street Gang or Providence Street Posse.

Five of the non-fatal shootings occurred in June. Usually June has several shooting incidents. July and August tend to be busier months, but the police roll out their Summer Impact patrols to try to curb any spike in violence.

"For us, that's high," Chief Gemme said. "It is not a positive trend when it comes to gun violence."

Police officials believe they have appropriate strategies in place, such as the Shooting Response Team, the Street Violence Prevention Group and the vice squad focusing on violent offenders in the city. The department also works with the district attorney's office on these shootings.

The chief, as he has said in the past, continues to stress that law enforcement is only one piece of the response to shootings.

Courts are the other. He said the courts have to be tough on violent offenders, and to strongly consider whether accused shooters should be released on bail, or receive light sentences, when involved in gun crimes.

"We need more support and cooperation from the courts, because these are the people that should not be allowed back on the streets without some type of punishment, or conditions that would seriously restrain their abilities to be back in the neighborhoods causing havoc," Chief Gemme said.

Friday's shooting near Crystal and Illinois streets highlights the concern the police have about the spate of shootings this year.

In that incident, a 19-year-old was shot after a vehicle pulled up to a crowd and a man inside allegedly let loose a cluster of shots into a group of people. The victim's wound was not life-threatening.

The incident shows a lack of regard for people, the chief said.

"When they pull the trigger they will fire off multiple rounds," Chief Gemme said. "The potential for innocent bystanders to become victims of crime increases."

The Police Department also released other six-month crime statistics. There were decreases in assaults, motor vehicle theft and vandalism, but an increase in non-domestic aggravated assault, which coupled with the gun violence is also a concern. There was an almost 16 percent increase from Jan. 1 to June 30 compared to the same period last year.

The chief also noted that breaking and entering crimes and larceny from a motor vehicle increased each by over 5 percent. But the chief pointed out that in almost all crime categories there is a decrease if the numbers are compared to the seven-year average.

Chief Gemme said comparing the crimes to the seven-year average doesn't mean the department is discounting the current increases, but said it is important to make the comparison in order to measure the effectiveness of department strategies.